The collaboration focuses on integrating updated processing platforms into Orange’s network infrastructure
In sum – what to know:
More sites – Following pilot projects that have been underway since 2023, Samsung and Orange announced plans to extend the number of vRAN and Open RAN sites in 2026.
Upgraded configuration – The companies are integrating Samsung’s vRAN processing platforms, running on Intel Xeon 6 SoC processors, into Orange’s network infrastructure.
Beacons of innovation – A Samsung exec described vRAN and Open RAN platforms as “beacons of innovation” capable of harnessing AI to meet the demands of future networks.
Samsung Electronics and operator Orange Group are expanding their European virtualized RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN collaboration, moving from multi-year testing into broader deployment.
The companies said they will extend the number of vRAN and Open RAN sites in 2026, following pilot projects that have been underway since 2023. The partnership aims to validate virtualized and open architectures as scalable, sustainable alternatives to traditional radio access network deployments.
Samsung and Orange have been working jointly to demonstrate the operational viability of vRAN and Open RAN in live environments. Last July, the companies completed their first 4G and 5G calls on a virtualized RAN and Open RAN network in southwestern France after extensive testing in Orange’s Lyon laboratories. According to the companies, field trials showed strong potential for high-quality, reliable network performance using Samsung’s vRAN technology.
The next phase of the collaboration focuses on integrating updated processing platforms into Orange’s network infrastructure. This includes Samsung’s AI-supported vRAN running on Intel Xeon 6 system-on-a-chip (SoC) processors deployed on a single commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Dell server, supported by a cloud platform from Wind River. The vendor said the upgraded configuration delivers enhanced computing power within a smaller hardware footprint, improving performance while reducing energy consumption and simplifying operations.
“This also helps the operator handle intensive workloads and AI applications on a single server by flexibly managing network resources and applying unused computing capacity to run AI and edge applications on its existing network,” Samsung said in a statement.
Angelo Jeongho Park, executive vice president and head of global sales and marketing for Samsung’s Networks Business, said the expansion reflects the company’s long-term commitment to software-driven RAN architectures. He described vRAN and Open RAN platforms as “beacons of innovation that can harness AI to meet the high demands of future networks.”
While deployments are expanding and Samsung has been optimistic about its work with global operations, Open RAN adoption continues to face operational hurdles. Analysts and operators have noted that disaggregated, multi-vendor architectures introduce new integration, management, and troubleshooting challenges as networks scale, even as they promise greater flexibility and innovation. As a result, many operators are moving cautiously, advancing deployments through phased rollouts and targeted use cases rather than full network replacement.
